8 Reasons You Should Start a Linkedin Discussion Group

Linkedin is more than just a social media channel to set up your profile and wait for someone to find you. Your profile is where prospects can go to learn more about you, AFTER they’ve connected with you and engaged with you, and want more information on how you can help them. That’s were a Linkedin discussion group comes in to play. It’s the perfect virtual networking opportunity for people to meet you, see you in action and get to know you, to determine if they want to know more. Here are 8 reasons to have your own Linkedin discussion group. 

Grow Your Brand. It’s a great way to get professionals to know your brand. Searches on Linkedin groups are chances that your brand will be found, if your discussion group IS your brand. Group managers are allowed to include logos and headings that advertise. It gets you, your product and your brand publicity. 

Demonstrate Your Expertise. Let’s say your sell automobile tires and you start a discussion group on tires and safety. Every time you post a discussion or respond to someone else’s, it’s your opportunity to demonstrate what you know about your subject matter. 

Attract Prospects. When you’re discussion group logo is found in searches or seen on the group list on someone’s profile, it could attract someone who may want to do business with you. I’ve created several groups and on numerous occasions, someone who joined my group ended up hiring me or purchasing my products or services. 

Grow Your Connections. After reading someone’s posts in your discussion group, you could instantly see that they were someone you truly want in your network. Being a member of your discussion group makes it incredibly easy to send them a connection invitation because you’ve already met. 

Follow Up to Networking Events. You return to your office after attending a networking event and send connection requests to those who gave you their business card. For the ones who accept and who may also be a prospect, you can invite them to your discussion group so they can learn more about you and your brand. 

Invite Your Connections to Join. Similar to the connections you meet at a local live networking event, anyone who sends you a connection request may be good candidates to invite in to your discussion group. Determine if you have a connection with them and invite them in using the easy-to-use invitation process. 

Get to Know Your Connections Better. Let’s say you’ve got a professional in your 500+ network who you can help or someone who can help you. Interacting with them in your discussion group gives you the opportunity to further investigate the possibilities that a business relationship with them might be possible. 

A Marketable Audience. Number 8 on this list is probably the best. As a discussion group manager, you can send a message directly to everyone in your group once a week. This means you can send a new product or service announcement directly to them, or an invitation to an event. There is the risk that some may feel that they are being sold to and will leave your group, but that’s the risk we take with any business communication.

Ten Things to do Immediately Following Publishing a Great Blog Post

I’ve stumbled on some really good blog posts and I’ve written a few myself. But no blogpost serves anyone well if it is not promoted on social media channels. To get found, you’ve got to get seen and not be waiting for Google search to stumble on your post. Here are 10 things to do immediately following every good blog post that you want to get read.

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1. After you write a great post, view it and copy it’s URL to your clipboard

2. Go to a Linkedin discussion group that you created for your niche

3. If you haven’t created a LI discussion group specifically for your niche, create one now

4. Click on DISCUSSIONS and start a discussion (title it so that people will WANT to comment)

5. Further describe your post and then paste the URL address to your blog post

6. If you still don’t have a discussion group, post your blog post in one your subscribe to

7. Go to the business Facebook page that you started for your business

8. If you don’t have one, create one now

9. Create a post with an attention getting heading that will tease your blog post

10. Paste the URL address of your blog post in the body of the Facebook post


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These tips are just for starters and I’m sure other professionals can offer others. Got an additional suggestion for using social media to get your blog post read? Post it in a comment here.

I Don't Know What to Write in My Blog!

Having a blog is required of anyone hoping to establish a presence on the Internet who considers themselves a mover and a shaker in their their field of expertise. This is especially true if they want to be considered an expert in their industry. One of the hardest things for many (this writer included) is trying to figure out what to write about when it comes time to putting together the next post.

To help those who struggle each time they pull up a new blank post, I came up with ten questions that any blog writer can ask themselves when they are struggling with coming up with content. Keep these questions handy and refer to them when you feel writer's block coming on.

1.  What do you consider yourself an expert in that you can write about in 300 words or less?

2.  What problem does your typical client deal with that you can provide a solution for?

3.  What recent incident occurred in your area of expertise that you could tell a story about?

4.  What product used in your industry, do you absolutely love (or hate) that you can talk about?

5.  What 5 tips can you offer someone that will help them grow their business?

6.  What industry book have your read lately that you could write a review on?

7.  Tell your readers about one particular huge success (or failure) that you experienced that they can learn from.

8.  Describe an incident you recently observed that could lead you into writing a post that would get read.

9.  Relate a news story that you saw recently that could lead you into writing a post that would teach something.

10.  What industry leader recently did something that is worth writing a post about?

Did these questions trigger any others for you that I can add to this list? Post a reply to share it with my readers, and thanks for reading.

How to Get on Radio and TV

About midday on December 14, 2012, I was landing at Hartford airport from a speaking gig I had in Omaha, NE. As I entered the terminal I noticed a large group of people gathered around a television in a nearby gate waiting area. I had to see what was so interesting on the news that had captured the attention of so many people. They were watching breaking news of a mass killing at an elementary school in Newtown, CT., just a few miles from the airport.

As I arrived home, my business phone rang and the caller ID showed me that it was the ABC affiliate newsroom calling. The producer of the news program asked me if I would drive down to New Haven to appear on camera and offer some advice to parents on how to help their children deal with the tragedy that just took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The point of this post is not to relive the awful incident, but instead, to ask you this question; how did that show producer know to call me? The answer lies in the formula on how to grow your platform and become the ‘go-to’ person in your niche area of expertise. The answer is to get yourself and your message out there so much so, that show producers know to call you when they’re in a pinch for an expert.

I share techniques for making this happen in my book THE 2.0 ENTREPRENEUR that you can purchase on the right-hand side of the screen, and I also share it in this teleseminar courtesy of the NONFICTION AUTHORS ASSOCIATION. Click THIS LINK to register for this event. If you’ve found this blog post after the date of the event, I will do my best to provide a link to the interview so you can hear it in it’s entirety.

Accept or Reject: It's Just Information

How do you respond when someone gives you an idea? Do you immediately think of the stress it will cause, the work it will take, what won't get done if they are doing that, the money it will take to do it, the time it will take away from them, on and on and on? Do you then tell the idea-giver why it won’t work or why you can’t take another thing on? Are you an idea-generator and find yourself thinking up and offering ideas to others? How does it make you feel when the idea you’ve given the other person is rejected?  

I don't blame those who reject ideas, as I use to feel the same things when others gave me ideas. But I learned to adapt to the fact that when someone gives me an idea, they are just giving me information that I can choose on my own to take action on or ignore. It’s all up to me; it’s just information.

I also like to take note that someone taking the time to give me an idea is like giving me a gift. When someone gives you a gift, you might immediately think about the fact that you really don't like it. But we've learned to be gracious and say thank you and look like we are thankful. I do my best to do the same thing with ideas; see them as gifts. I’ve learned to remain quiet, listen, and then say “Isn’t that interesting, thanks for the idea.” I often times write down these ideas because I may think differently about them at a later time.

Remember, whether someone gives you an idea or feedback, it’s all just information that you are free to do anything you want with. But thank them for the gift of their time, thoughts and ideas.

The Latest Marketing Videos that Sell

Some call them whiteboard videos and others call them explainer videos. You may have seen them; a hand with a marker drawing images and text on a surface that looks like a whiteboard. Although this style of video originated in the UK, over here in the U.S., the package deliver service UPS used it many years ago to explain why their customers should use them for all of their package delivery.

 

Whiteboard videos like this one above are examples of some of those that I've created for organizations that want to attract donors, volunteers and supporters.  In less than 2 minutes I was able to put together key points about what the organization does and who it does it for.  Adults today have very little time to focus on one thing and a quick video like this one helps organizations to get the message across quickly.  They also make good book trailers, such as the one below.

I created the video above for a company that is launching it's first book.  This book trailer creates motivation to go looking for their new book before it ever becomes available.  Notice how the music, paired with the right phrases and images can invoke emotion that speaks to those who might be interested in buying this book.  Other whiteboard marketing videos may attempt to persuade you to come into their facility like the one below.

Whiteboard videos can take as little as 1 - 2 hours for me to put together, once the client sketches out the script and the decides on the images.  Contact me if you'd like me to create a whiteboard video for your company or organization to add to your Web 2.0 marketing plan.  Email me at bill@billcorbett.com to learn more.  Want to test drive this software yourself?  CLICK HERE to visit the company website and give it a try.

What if You Can't Answer a Question?

Have you ever had the experience of presenting at the front of the room to prospects and someone throws a curve-ball question, catching you off guard?  It happened to me, early in my business marketing career and I'll remember that uncomfortable moment forever.   Here's my advice if this ever happens to you.

Rule one is DON'T FAKE IT. If you get caught making up answers or providing inaccurate information, it could hurt your credibility. First, acknowledge the person who asked that question for asking a great question. Then, admit that you don't have the answer but confidently declare that you will find out. Offer the person asking the question your business card and ask him or her to follow up with you at a later time for the answer to the question after you've had time to research it.

In my situation, it wasn't about providing inaccurate information. I made the awful mistake of using a handout that I didn't develop and someone offered me. Basically, I didn't review all of the information on it. Someone had a question on information that was listed on the backside of the handout and I had no clue what it was referring to. I must have had the deer in the headlights look and learned a valuable lesson that day; always know what's on your handouts!